Posts Tagged ‘customer service’

Companies are afraid of losing ‘control’ of their brand message. There are two parts to their fear. One, customers have the freedom to say whatever they want; and, two, that is only that message in the marketplace. You can see that in part two you as a person responsible for the brand message or customer communications (yes you!) can jump in and be a part of

I hadn’t set foot in the store for three years. Yet the welcome I received felt like a homecoming. But I’m getting ahead of myself… Nine years ago, back when my husband and I lived in Boston, we bought our wedding rings at

The CEO’s natural habitat may be their office or a boardroom but, once in a while, every CEO should spend some time handling customer service phone calls. It’s a jungle out there… Let’s be clear. I’m not suggesting that your CEO should star in the popular CBS reality show Undercover Boss. But spending time on the phone with customers can be a useful and illuminating activity.

Chances are that you aren’t in the business of selling shoes, handbags, and clothing. So it may come as a surprise to you to discover that you’re competing with Zappos. Oh, and Amazon, too. Whatever line of business or service you’re in, your customers will judge and compare the online usability (ease of web use/ page design/ search, etc) and website experience to the likes of

Creating customer loyalty isn’t always as easy as riding a bike. Just ask Chris Zane, owner of Zane’s Cycles, and author of a new book, “Reinventing the Wheel: The Science of Creating Lifetime Customers.” You don’t need to own a bicycle to enjoy Zane’s account

On Twitter, I spotted this public declaration by @mpace101: “I might consider remarrying if Costco was a woman @ Costco http://gowal.la/c/3GvGs”. I happen to agree with this kind of tweet; I’d marry Costco but I’m already taken. How do the companies earn such fanatical comments? Here’s a look at the big and small things that Costco does. POLICIES: They have a longer and kinder return policy than most

If you were to describe the interaction between companies and customers on social media such as Facebook, the relationship status would read “It’s Complicated.” In fact, customers and companies often use social media for entirely different purposes. And the two meet in the middle randomly. Here’s an example: Most individuals use Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and other platforms for social purposes. By contrast, companies are jumping into

Here’s an easy way to lose customers: Send them impersonal responses that seem to have been generated by the HAL 9000 (from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey). Example 1: Bank of America recently sent me a standardized letter that reads as follows, “Congratulations, Your account shown above is paid in full. The items checked below

In past blogs, I’ve encouraged businesses to consider how to create durable bonds with customers through powerful customer experiences. Easier said than done, right? Often, the greatest challenge is altering and shaping the behavior of employees so that they become truly customer focused. Indeed, you may feel that changing the fundamental culture of an entire company is a bit like trying to steer the Titanic away

This is a great excerpt from the book from Tony Hsieh, "Delivering Happiness." Take note of these 10 ideas you can embed into your business. Top 10 Ways to Instill Customer Service into Your Company 1. Make customer